Why Trilling MattersAdam Kirsch Adam Kirsch argues Trilling’s legacy as a defender of the primacy of literature, the importance of criticism, and of the literary critic as heroic figure. Reviewed by Spencer Dew

Nothing: A Portrait of InsomniaBlake Butler Butler’s recursive, malleable syntax not only mirrors the blurry minds of the sleepless, his prose redefines that “sleeplike helpless state.” Reviewed by Nick Ripatrazone

Nocturne: A Journey in Search of MoonlightJames Attlee In this collection of essays, Attlee challenges us to reexamine our relationship to the night sky for the sake of both our sense of mystery and our planet’s health. Reviewed by Paula Cisewski

All In: From Refugee Camp to Poker ChampJerry Yang While this memoir focuses on Yang’s win at the 2007 World Series of Poker, the more interesting portion follows his journey to America as a Hmong refugee. Reviewed by Adam Stemple

If You Knew Then What I Know NowRyan Van Meter This debut collection of essays explores the silence around homosexuality and the difficulty in defining yourself when all you know is that you’re “different.” Reviewed by Nasir Sakandar

Rose: Love in Violent TimesInga Muscio Muscio's new book continually affirms that a strong sense of self precipitates an expanded awareness of the surrounding world. Reviewed by Amy Wright

The Letters of Rosa LuxemburgEdited by Georg Adler, Peter Hudis, and Annelies Laschitza This collection of letters offers a litany of new insights into Luxemburg's character and her quick evolution as thinker and political insurgent. Reviewed by Vladislav Davidzon

A Life in MotionFlorence Howe Florence Howe writes a poignant memoir about coming of age as a feminist in mid-twentieth-century America. Reviewed by E. J. Levy

Reviews: Fiction

A Moment in the SunJohn Sayles As election season begins to wax, this tome of literary historical fiction offers an encouraging reminder of the depth of American roots and the breadth of American identity. Reviewed by Joshua Willey

EmbassytownChina MiévilleEmbassytown is truly a novel of ideas, in which the final battle is waged not between warring space frigates but between competing theories about language and learning. Reviewed by Nathaniel Forsythe

My American UnhappinessDean Bakopoulos In his second novel, Dean Bakopoulos tries to appraise the psychological trauma caused by 9/11 and the ensuing years of ferocious politics. Reviewed by Will Wlizlo

New Finnish GrammarDiego Marani Italian novelist Diego Marani has set himself the difficult task of telling the story of a man who has no story. Reviewed by John Toren

The Hashish WaiterKhairy Shalaby In his seventieth book, the late Khairy Shalaby takes on the pervasive and illegal use of hashish among Egypt’s youth culture. Reviewed by Brooke Horvath

The Matter with MorrisDavid Bergen Bergen brings the classic mid-life crisis story up to speed with the war-torn, plugged-in world in his recent Giller Prize-winning novel. Reviewed by Matthew Duffus

ReamdeNeal Stephenson Embrace your inner geek with Reamde, a fast-paced, video-game-like story that is—unlike most of Stephenson’s work—more action than analysis. Reviewed by Alice Dodge

Reviews: Poetry

The Oxford Anthology of Bhakti LiteratureEdited by Andrew Schelling This comprehensive and timely collection offers a rich and diversified picture of bhakti poetry in English translation. Reviewed by Graziano Krätli

Stranger in TownCedar Sigo Sigo creates an intertextual collection that is as rich as the many sources of inspiration from which it draws. Reviewed by Bethany Prosseda

Bad DaughterSarah Gorham Gorham's fourth collection of poetry is a varied and dynamic meditation on the many manifestations of family life. Reviewed by Nick DePascal

The South WindAdele Ne Jame The Lebanese American poet Adele Ne Jame creates a rich cloth of colors and scents in this handsomely produced collection of poems. Reviewed by Zara Raab

Core Samples from the WorldForrest Gander This latest work by poet and translator Forrest Gander combines poetry, photography, and haibun to explore the ever-shifting geologic and human structures of the world. Reviewed by Justin Wadland

Ciento: 100 100-Word Love PoemsLorna Dee Cervantes If the book's cover doesn’t tip you off, you’ll soon find out that Cervantes’ love poems manage to be witty, lyrical, and wise without a trace of sentimentality. Reviewed by Sharon Olinka

Utopia MinusSusan Briante Susan Briante’s poems playfully articulate the stagnancy of a population born and raised in the suburban sprawl. Reviewed by Abby Travis

English Fragments: A Brief History of the SoulMartin Corless-Smith Martin Corless-Smith’s fifth collection of poetry is a deeply companionable book, with powers of reflection, musicality, candor, and sympathetic magic. Reviewed by Daniel Tiffany

What Is Owed the DeadR. H. W. Dillard In this long-awaited seventh book, Dillard collects fifty-two poems, each a meditation upon a dead poet’s work and life. Reviewed by Greg Weiss